Long-term plan for Delaware Ohio is “happening now”!

Posted on10/01/2007|Comments Off on Long-term plan for Delaware Ohio is “happening now”!

A number of years ago MORPC (Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission) conducted presentations during Delaware city council meetings to inform attendees of their recommendations for how the area should be developed by the year 2020. I attended two of the key presentations, since it’s important for me to know how future development might affect homes.

The focus was on roadways so the land could be assigned BEFORE housing or commercial developments restricted Delaware County’s ability to put roads in the most beneficial place. At the time of the presentations, there were several considerations:

Plan for all the development coming between I-270 to Delaware.

Provide alternate means for truck traffic on Rt 23 to access Rt 36 (east side) to get to I-71 without having to drive through the east side of the city of Delaware.

Increase the opportunity to beef up the business opportunities available at the Delaware airport by providing better access to major roads and avoid having trucks travel through the city streets.

The proposed plan included a circular by-pass around the city of Delaware.

Sawmill Parkway would be extended northward from Home Rd to the west side of Delaware, near Houck Rd to provide an alternate north-south road.

A road would be built between Rt 23 near Peachblow to connect with Glenn Rd to carry traffic to Rt 36 beyond the east side of Delaware. Grady Memorial Hospital is to build a new hospital in that area, moving from their current location on the west side of the city.

Unresolved was a east-west connector between the new Sawmill Pkwy to Rt 23 although it was discussed that it be in the vicinity of connecting to Cheshire Rd. The issue with this connector is that it would cross over the Olentangy River, which since it has been designated a “Scenic River”, has restrictions on such development.

Now, several years later some of the planned roads are in the process of being created.

A round-about seems to be nearing completion on Cheshire Rd just west of the Glenross Golf Course which is the Glenn Rd-Rt 23 connection to Rt 36. New commercial/retail/housing plans are in the works for the east side of Delaware, east of Rt 521. So far three major retailers have signed on to build there: Meijer’s, Kohls and Home Depot.

A new section of road will join Liberty Rd just north of Home Rd to realign it to connect with Liberty Rd just south of Home Rd.

Like it or not, growth and development will happen, especially since southern Delaware County is the fastest growing area of the state. Knowing what is planned … and where … is crucial information for buyers as they are considering which home to purchase.